ANC presidential hopeful Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is officially challenging President Cyril Ramaphosa for the governing party’s top job.

She’s accepted nominations from some branches to stand for ANC president at this year’s elective conference scheduled in December.

‘Step-aside rule unfair and unjust’

In an exclusive interview with SABC’s Samkele Maseko, Dlamini-Zuma laid bare her thoughts on the party’s step-aside resolution, which calls for members implicated in criminal activity to step aside from leadership positions.

“For me where the problem lies is that the country’s laws say they are innocent until proven guilty, then the law of the ANC almost says you are guilty until proven innocent,” Dlamini-Zuma said.

“The problem with it is that you will step aside because you are charged, three years on, the trial hasn’t started, what kind of justice that?”

Not wanting to name anyone, Dlamini-Zuma said one ANC member had been in and out of court for three years before the court threw the case out of court.

“Why do you arrest first and investigate later?”

Dlamini-Zuma says the December conference is expected to review the step-aside resolution in its current form.

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SA needs an energy mix to beat power cuts

If elected, Dlamini-Zuma said she would have to get a thorough understanding of the problems at the country’s beleaguered power utility.

She said South Africa is a coal-rich country, with other ample energy-producing resources like solar, wind and nuclear.

“We must make sure it is a mix of energy… we must see what is more expensive and what is good for us,” she said.

Drawing on the emerging European energy crisis since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dlamini-Zuma pointed out that countries that had switched to green energy sources, found themselves doing a u-turn back to coal-fired electricity in dark times.

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“We’ve been looking at climate change which is a responsibility we must undertake, we must make sure that we don’t destroy the environment… but at the same time, we must use what we have.

“I don’t think we should abandon what we have, look at what is happening in Europe now when they can’t get enough gas from wherever they go back to coal,” Dlamini-Zuma said.

“But we want to abandon coal.”

This is the second time Dlamini-Zuma will go up against Ramphosa.

If successful, she will become the ANC and possibly South Africa’s first woman president.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney

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